1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of wireless computer peripheral devices. More particularly, the invention provides methods and devices for analyzing signal strength and interference and recommending corrective actions to a user.
2. Description of Related Art
Wireless computer peripheral devices, such as computer mice and keyboards, typically transmit data in packets modulated on a radio frequency (RF) carrier. There are generally a fixed number of channels available for use by wireless computer peripheral devices. Current computer configurations provide four channels. Two channels are allocated to a wireless mouse and the remaining two channels are allocated to a wireless keyboard.
The presence of nearby wireless computer peripheral devices can increase the rate of data loss by generating interference. For example, with only two channels allocated for mice, a computer lab or other cluster of computer devices may include several mice transmitting on the same channel. Data loss can result from factors such as insufficient signal strength, aborted packets, and receiving packets having the wrong identification or checksum value.
When an error condition exits, the cause of the error is generally not apparent to users. As a result, when faced with an error condition, users of wireless computer peripheral devices frequently contact service personnel or spend time attempting corrective steps that have a low probability of correcting the data loss problem.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art for systems and methods that analyze the sources of data losses incurred by wireless computer peripheral devices so that corrective action can be suggested to users.